West Lafayette purchases building for council chambers

William Casteel

Wednesday

Jun 22, 2011 at 12:03 AM

WEST LAFAYETTE -- As a result of recent state Senate Bill 77, the Village of West Lafayette has recently approved the purchase of a new building in which the Mayor's office and council chambers will relocate to within the next month or two.

According to Mayor Jack Patterson, the bill is actually concerning a mandated requirement for each municipal police department to have its own designated area in which subjects will have a secure, private location for the police interview/questioning process. The department is also greatly in need of additional space for storing files, equipment and supplies.

Once the purchase is completed, the village Mayor's office and council chambers will relocate to the adjacent building located at 115 Railroad St., which formerly housed Video Express. The building will also be used for storage of a large volume of files that the village is required to retain.

Mayor Patterson said the purchase of the new building will have several positive aspects for the village. One aspect is that the village will save thousands of dollars by not having to purchase land, then construct a new building. The building, which has already passed inspection, is already established and very little work will be required before the village can move in. The village also owns the land adjacent to the new building so there would be no boundary issues if the village would want to add additional parking in the future.

Following a brief executive session, village council approved the purchase of the property to be completed through Home Loan & Savings Bank.

"Our main goal with this purchase is that we (the village) will soon be in compliance with the Senate Bill 77. This will be the most cost effective move for the village and we will be meeting the requirement that has been mandated by the state Senate," said Mayor Patterson.

Other business discussed included:

* The policy for accidental insurance for village employees was approved to be continued.

* A new rate for property insurance (a policy already carried by the village) was approved.

* Council approved to have the traffic light at Oak and west Main Street repaired. The control panel was struck by lightning during a recent storm. Council members discussed concerns of citizens reporting several near accidents with the flashing red light. According to comments, it appears that many drivers either do not understand that they must stop and look before proceeding through the light or else they simply are not doing so.

* Council approved a second reading for an ordinance concerning notification to the Coshocton County Engineer of address changes for the water and wastewater plants.

* A first reading was given for an ordinance regarding a levy for the November ballot for a proposed one half percent tax increase for capital improvement (street repair, replacement).

* Village council also approved an ordinance for procedures with water services, and assessing late or delinquent water service charges. The village has also re-assessed water services in light of the village pool being closed indefinitely.

According to the water service procedures, residents that have swimming pools and reside within the village limits will be getting a bit of a savings on their water bill. Village swimming pool owners will receive a credit based on the month that they filled their swimming pool. The credit will also be based on the dimensions of the pool which will be measured by a village employee. The amount of the credit will then be calculated by giving a credit for the water usage. It will be applicable to the use of 12,000 gallons or more of water. All sewer charges would be waived. Each pool owner will only qualify for one credit per year.

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